One season after winning the Calder Cup, the Abbotsford Canucks have become the first team eliminated from American Hockey League playoff contention.
The defending champions entered Sunday’s (March 22) game against the San Jose Barracuda riding a four-game losing streak and had to post a regulation win in order to stay alive in the playoff race.
A regulation win Sunday would have meant that Abbotsford could qualify for the postseason by winning all eight final games in regulation and praying that the San Diego Gulls lose all 11 of their remaining games in regulation.
However, those plans went down in flames with a 4-2 to the Barracuda in California on Sunday afternoon.
Four Abbotsford players down low, puck makes its way to Woo and he scores pic.twitter.com/28ex9VV7UM
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) March 22, 2026
Former Abbotsford Canucks defender Jett Woo opened the scoring for his new club at 11:36 and Barracuda goalie Jakub Skarek stopped all 11 shots he faced in the opening frame.
Abbotsford’s Kirill Kudryavtsev got the Canucks on the board at 6:21 of the second, but the Canucks allowed a power play goal about seven minutes later when Oliver Wahlstrom beat Canucks goalie Ty Young. San Jose out shot Abbotsford 19-8 in the middle frame and had large stretches of the period in complete control.
Kudryavtsev ties the game up pic.twitter.com/cQ3kaCXKsj
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) March 22, 2026
San Jose’s Quentin Musty scored the eventual game winning goal at 7:21 of the third, but Abbotsford’s Jack Thompson drew the Canucks within one about two minutes later. Abbotsford made a late push, but were unable to solve Skarek and Lucas Vanroboys added an empty net goal at the 18-minute mark.
Canucks getting run out of the building this period, SJ finally makes it 3-1 pic.twitter.com/pxqWQCwcAf
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) March 22, 2026
The Canucks were out shot 37-29 in the loss, with Nils Aman recording a team-high four shots. Thompson continues to produce for the Canucks and has nine points in nine game since Abbotsford acquired him in exchange for Woo earlier this month.
Abbotsford also dropped a 4-1 decision to the Barracuda on Saturday (March 21).
Chase Stillman scored the lone goal of the first period at 11:07, but from there it was all San Jose as they replied with three goals in the second and one in the third. Brendan Hoffmann, Kasper Halttunen, Anthony Vincent and Jimmy Huntingdon all tallied in the Barracuda win.
The Canucks were out shot 40-24 and goalie Jiri Patera made 36 saves in the loss. Thompson was a -3 against his old team on Saturday and Bennett Schimek led the Canucks with four shots.
Abbotsford’s record now drops to 22-36-3-3 on the season and they have just eight games remaining on the schedule. They rank 10th in the Pacific Division and 31st in the 32-team AHL.
It’s rare for the defending Calder Cup champions to miss the playoffs and this marks the first time that has happened since the Cleveland (Lake Erie) Monsters did in the 2016-17 season after winning the 2016 Calder Cup.
The Canucks next host the San Diego Gulls on Saturday (March 28) and Sunday (March 29).